Heats were held throughout the weekend for a senior and junior winner as hundreds of kilos of strawberries were eaten.

Most competitors said they felt like winners, willingly finishing their plates.

Hundreds of people queued at the RedFest ticket office on Saturday afternoon, such was the pulling power of Justice Crew, the headline act at 7.30pm.

Crowds also enjoyed the lantern parade, which has become an intrinsic feature of the festival, followed by fireworks.

RedFest president Luke Kinman said the new-look festival had provided renewed energy and brought back both old faithfuls and some new people, keen to get involved with their local community.

“It’s not about the numbers. We are stoked with the turn out, but this was more about the energy and the buzz.

“I think this RedFest has put the Redlands on the map. It has attracted media attention across Queensland,” Mr Kinman said.

But the biggest winner was the strawberry itself.

This year’s winners of the strawberry eating competition were Brook Martin, 36, and Jade Simmons, 13.

“RedFest is the only event in the Redlands that is run by the community for the community. This is what this area is all about. We have had a record number of volunteers, all chipping in,” Mr Kinman said.

He said a strategic plan had already been started for the next five years. RedFest had engaged Krista Hauritz as part of this initiative and there were “mystery shoppers” at the festival to get reactions to various events.